Things to Do in Sydney

Sydney is one of the greatest cities in the world, and Australia's most
popular destination for international travellers.

No other city in
Australia
has got such a beautiful harbour with the old Sydney Harbour Bridge and
the unique Sydney Opera House.

There is also the old town - The Rocks,
Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney Botanic Gardens, some world-class surf
beaches
like Bondi and Manly, and interesting suburbs like Kings Cross,
Darlinghurst, Surry
Hills and Paddington.
Harbour. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney Harbour National Park
Sydney’s gorgeous harbour starts between the North and South Heads and
stretches 20km west to the Parramatta River. Much of its shores and
many of its islands are protected by the Sydney Harbour
National Park with some good walking tracks and lookout
points. There are some quiet beaches at Nielsen Park, Camp Cove, Manly
Cove, Reef Beach and Balmoral. And you can discover it all on Sydney harbour cruises.

Harbour Bridge. Poster by AllPosters. Click
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A great way to explore
Sydney Harbour is by taking a harbour cruise.

It is something you will always remember, and it doesn't have to be
expenive :-)

Things to Do in Sydney - Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge
is one of the world’s greatest bridges. It connects the city centre and
the North Sydney business district, and is used by both cars and
trains.

But you won’t see much from the trains or cars so the best way to
discover the bridge is by a bike or by foot – on the eastern side of it
there is a pedestrian path, and the western side is used by cyclists.
An even better way of discovering the bridge is to join the Bridge
Climb – a
three-and-a-half-hours tour across the top of the bridge where you can
have your photo taken with the Opera House down in the background.

Things to Do in Sydney - Opera House
The Sydney Opera House
is nowadays probably even more famous than the Harbour Bridge. It was
designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon and built of Swedish roof
tiles between 1959 and 1973. It is much more than an Opera House
– it’s a cultural complex which includes an Opera Theatre for ballet
and opera
performances (Verdi's
La Traviata being on of the most popular),
a Concert Hall for symphony, jazz, chamber and pop
music concerts, and in the back there is the Bennelong Restaurant,
one
of the best restaurants in Sydney (you can also take dinner and opera
/ ballet
/ symphony
orchestra packages). In the lobby area in the front of
the Opera House there are some good views over the Sydney Harbour and
different rooms can be hired for conferences, parties and weddings. You
can discover Sydney Opera House on a guided
walking tour, and even a guided
backstage tour.

Things to Do in Sydney - Circular Quay
West of Sydney Opera House is Circular Quay – the place where Captain
Arthur Phillip arrived with the convicts and established the first
settlement of Sydney. Circular
Quai is today mainly a
transport hub with a train station and terminals for harbour ferries.
In the western end of it is the First Fleet Park, and north of it is
the Museum
of Contemporary Art.

Things to Do in Sydney - The Rocks
East from the Circular Quai is the historical Sydney – The Rocks and
Millers Point. It is a lovely hilly area with cobbled streets lined
with colonial buildings, historical pubs and converted warehouses. On
the eastern side of the Harbour Bridge there is the Rocks Square where
there are often street performances; and on George Street there is the
Cadman’s Cottage – Sydney’s oldest house. Also on the George Street are
the historical Sailor’s Home and Merchant’s House, and the weekend
Rocks Markets.
Further north are Campbell’s Storehouses, and if you continue walking
along Hickson Road through the Dawes Point Park, you come to Dawes
Point where there are the old wharves which now house a luxury hotel,
Sydney Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre and Sydney Dance Company.

The Rocks. Poster by AllPosters. Click on
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Things to Do in Sydney - Old Pubs
South from here is Millers Point and Observatory Park with
the old Sydney Observatory
where you can watch Sydney night skies ever night. South of it is the
National Trust Centre with SH Ervin Gallery which has art exhibitions.
North of the park are the historical pubs Lord
Nelsons Hotel and Hero of Waterloo. East from here
along Argyle Street, on the corner of Glouce and Cumberland Streets is
another popular historical pub – Australian Hotel.

The Australian Hotel. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Hyde Park Barracks and other Sydney Museums
South-east from The Rocks is the city centre which starts south of the
Circular Quai and ends south of Chinatown. The main street
through the CBD is George Street which
begins at The Rocks in the north and runs south along the western side
of
the city centre and ends at the Central Station. On the eastern side of
the city centre there is Macquarie Street,
in and around which are the Museum of Sydney, Justice & Police
Museum,
Parliament House, Mint Building, State Library with a free gallery and
the historical museum of Hyde Park Barracks
where tourists can learn about Sydney’s convict history while Aussies
can use a computer program to track their family history and find out
what crimes their ancestors were sent here for!

Hyde Park Barracks. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Shopping
West from the Macquarie Street are Sydney’s two central pedestrian
malls: Martin’s Place, and Pitt
Street Mall with the Strand Arcade, shops and warehouses, and the
entrance
to the Sydney Tower.
It is worth going up for excellent views from 250m height at an
observation deck and rotating restaurants. South from here is the
beautiful historical warehouse Queen Victoria Building,
and there are a fair few interesting shops along the streets between
here and Chinatown.

Queen Victoria Building. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Town Hall
South of the QVB on George Street is Town Hall, a popular meeting place
next to the Greater Union Hoyts
Cinemas and the central Woolworths across the street. East
from here is Hyde Park with some nice fountains, tree avenues, ANZAC
Park Memorial and plenty of benches and lawn perfect to sit down and
have a lunch. East of Hyde Park is the pretty St Mary’s Cathedral, an
underground swimming pool and the Australian Museum, which is a
science museum that also exhibits Aboriginal
history.

A city park. Poster by AllPosters. Click on
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Things to Do in Sydney - Chinatown
In the southern end of the city centre is the vibrant Chinatown in the
blocks around around
Dixon Street. A
highlight of Chinatown is Paddy’s
Markets – an excellent
market with affordable prices, and upstairs are factory outlets and
Chinese eateries.

Chinatown. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Darling Harbour
North-west of Chinatown are the Chinese Gardens of
Friendship in the southern end of Darling
Harbour – a very touristic
harbour with some excellent museums, a large shopping centre and some
good dining areas along Cockle Bay and King St Wharves. Starting from
south there is the Sydney Entertainment Centre,
Powerhouse Museum, and the large
Tumbalong Park with Sydney Exhibition and
Convention Centre, IMAX Theatre,
and the Harbourside Shopping Centre.

Things to Do in Sydney Aquarium and Madame Tussauds
North of the Pyrmont Bridge are Maritime Museum, the famous
Sydney
Aquarium (which you can also visit on a behind
the scenes tour), and the city's newest attraction - Madame
Tussauds!
Sydney Harbour
Ferries will take you from
here to Balmain – a lovely inner suburb west of the city, with
beautiful Victorian houses, speciality shops, restaurants and pubs with
live music.

Things to Do in Sydney - Glebe and Fish Markets
South-west of Darling Harbour are Chippendale and Ultimo, suburbs with
a lot of university students, and the bohemian Glebe
with some nice street cafes, second-hand bookshops and the lively Glebe
Markets on Saturdays. North-east of Glebe are Sydney Fish Markets, a
popular place for a lunch with views over Anzac Bridge and pelicans
walking on the
shore. West from Glebe are Annandale and the Italian suburb Leichardt;
and south of it is Newtown – a colourful
suburb that is moving upmarket, but still has some great shops and
cheap cafes and eateries.

Botanical Gardens. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney Botanic Gardens
Back up north, south-east of the Opera House are the Sydney
Botanic Gardens, with lots
of plant species from South Pacific, and the Sydney Tropical Centre
with tropical woodland, monsoonal and rainforest plants. There is also
a Fernery and a Rose Garden. In the Sydney Botanic Gardens are also the
Government House, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and farthest north
the Lady Macquarie’s Point, popular for picnics with views over the
harbour and the Opera House. South of the botanic gardens is the Domain
with some football fields and the Art
Gallery of New South Wales.
Between Christmas
and New Year every year
the Carols in the
Candlelight are held here. Also in Domain, you can watch the
little red flying
foxes covering the sky twice
a day in their daily migration between Botanical Gardens where they
sleep during the day and Centennial Park where they eat
during the night – it’s quite a sight to watch them flying.

Things to do in Sydney. By
Flying_Cloud
via Flickr.com
Things to Do in Sydney - Woolloomooloo Wharf and Harry's Cafe de
Wheels
Near the Art Gallery of New South Wales there is a pedestrian bridge
across the railway which takes you to Woolloomooloo – an old but
nice suburb that is interesting to discover by foot. In the northern
end of it is the famous Woolloomooloo Wharf with expensive hotels and
restaurants, and next to it is the famous pie shop
Harry’s Cafe de Wheels,
open since 1945 with walls covered with photos of celebrities who have
visited it in the past. It serves some huge pies with different meats,
peas and mashed potato, and it’s still open as you walk home from pubs
and nightclubs in the early hours during the weekends.

Things to do in Sydney. Harry's Cafe de Wheels. Poster by
AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Kings Cross
East of Woolloomooloo is the famous Kings Cross. Its main street may be
lined with brothels and wild drinking holes but this is
only one side of King’s Cross
– there are also nice street cafes and backpackers’ hostels, banks,
restaurants and bookshops, tourists
and souvenir shops, and Sunday Markets at El Alamein Fountain.

The
roughness of Kings Cross seems rather attract visitors and I was living
in the area for years so if you are street-smart and don’t go silly it
is not a dangerous place. You’ll find that a lot of backpackers stay in
Kings Cross and enjoy it. As you approach it along William Street, it’s
left from the famous Coca Cola sign, but you can also catch the train
to Kings Cross Station. And you can take a guided
tour in Kings Cross.

Things to do in Sydney. Kings Cross. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Paddington Bazaar and
Centennial Park
South of Kings Cross are Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Paddington with
some Victorian architecture and small shops and street cafes. The main
street of Paddington is Oxford Street, lined with shops, pubs,
restaurants and art galleries, and on Saturdays there are the
Paddington Bazaar Markets. In the
southern end of Oxford Street is Centennial Park – the largest park in
the city with paths for walking, jogging and roller
skating. Centennial Park
is also famous for its birdlife – there are many ponds with populations
of ibis and spoonbills, ducks, pelicans,
cormorants and darters.
Locals like to feed them here but it is not a good idea as this is how
birds become pests.

Things to do in Sydney. Paddington. By
hiphazard via Flickr.com

Things to Do in Sydney - Eastern Suburbs
North-east of Centennial Park is Moore Park
and Fox Entertainment
Centre with film studios, cinemas, shopping and
restaurants. North from here (and east from Kings Cross), are the
wealthy eastern suburbs Elisabeth Bay, Edgecliff, Double Bay, Rose Bay
and Watsons Bay, with views over the harbour. East of Centennial Park
is Bondi Junction, a laid-back suburb with an interesting shopping
mall, and bus stops to the southern beaches.

Things to do in Sydney. Bondi Beach. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Bondi Beach Surfing
The famous Bondi Beach is today a trendy place with stylish cafes and
restaurants, boardwalks to lookout points, and excellent surf waves but
it also gets crowded with surfers and backpackers, and quieter options
are Bronte and Coogee. Coogee is further south but Bronte is easily
reached from Bondi Beach
via a lovely coastal walk with some good views and outdoors art
exhibitions. You can take a tour or learn
to surf;
and on Sundays there are the Bondi Beach Markets
on the Campbell Parade - the main street.

Things to do in Sydney. Cronulla. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Manly Beach
The most famous beach on the northern shore is Manly
- a lovely beach next to a
little beachside town with a pedestrian mall - the Corso - with shops,
pubs and restaurants, and the famous Oceanworld.
There is also the Manly Art Gallery
& Museum, and behind it is the 10km Manly Scenic
Walkway. On the North Head is the historical Quarantine
Station which you can
visit on pre-booked guided tours.

Things to do in Sydney. Manly. Poster by AllPosters.
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But if you want to go
for a drive out of the city,
there are of course car rentals; and –
the very popular Kings Cross Car Markets where backpackers buy cars and
campervans cheap and sell them again after a trip around Australia.

To
get from the airport to the
city and back, there are the convinient arrival
and departure
transfers. And nowadays there are even the private
arrival and private
departure transfers - unbelievably for almost the same price!Things to do in Sydney. Olympic Stadium. Poster by
AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Accommodation
As you would expect, Sydney has probably got the greatest
variety of accommodation in Australia.

Things to Do in Sydney - Eating Out
Dining is equally various and some of the examples include Salad Works,
Mint Cafe and Sailors Thai in the city centre, Pho Pasteur, BBQ King
and Enperor’s Garden BBQ & Noodles in Chinatown; Fu Manchu and
Foodgame in Darlinghurst, Il Baretto and Maya da Dhaba in Surry Hills;
Flatelli Paradiso and Tuk Tuk in Kings Cross, Tanjore and Padde Manors
in Glebe, Bacigalupo and Green Gourmet in Newtown, Bar Italia in
Leichart; Luv in a Cup and House of Soy in Bondi; Beanrush and BarKing
Frog in Manly, and Rice and A Fish Called Googee in Coogee.

Things to do in Sydney. Restaurant. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Pubs
Sydney has also got an excellent night life, with bars, pubs and clubs
lively until the small hours. A popular place in the city
centre is the Establishment. In The Rocks, there are the historical
Australian Hotel, Hero
of Waterloo and Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel. In Kings
Cross, there are World Bar, Bourbon, Jimmy Lik’s and Soho Bar &
Lounge.
In Surry Hills there are the Cricketers Arms and Hollywood
Hotel; and in Paddington there are the Lord Dudley Hotel and Paddington
Inn Hotel. In Balmain there are the London Hotel and Riverview Hotel,
and in Bondi there is Bondi Icebergs Bar. Nightclubs
include Slip Inn in the city centre, Goodbar in Paddington; and Yu,
Icebox and Plan B in Kings Cross.

Things to do in Sydney. Nightclub. Poster by AllPosters.
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Things to Do in Sydney - Festivals
The festivals
celebrated are Sydney
Festival in January; Chinese New Year and Tropfest in February; Mardi
Gras in March; Royal Easter Show in April; Sydney’s Writers’ Festival
in May; Sydney Film Festival in June; City to Surf Run in August;
Carnivale in September; Kings Cross Carnival and Manly Jazz Festival in
October; Sculpture by the Sea (along the walk between Bondi and Bronte
mentioned above) in November; and Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve in
December.

Things to do in Sydney. Opera House.
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Just outside the city are two great getaways - Blue
Mountains and Royal
National
Park. Below is a Sydney street map,
where I have
tagged the
places
mentioned on this web page. You can click on the tags to see
what places they are, and double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it
in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you
want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in
the top right hand corner.

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